Overview & Reviews

The Saturn brand, which was part of General Motors, has been discontinued as of the 2009 model year. Though popular in its early years, Saturn suffered from poor sales and was shuttered as part of GM's bankruptcy reorganization.

Despite its sad end, Saturn started with a bright future. After losing market share to Japanese imports during the '80s, General Motors launched Saturn, a new division that began selling small, low-priced cars in 1990. The division promoted itself as "different," with Saturn dealers offering no-haggle pricing and friendly customer service.

Saturn made its debut with the S Series line of vehicles. Available in sedan, coupe and wagon configurations, these Saturns differentiated themselves from other GM products with all-new platforms and flexible plastic panels meant to resist denting. Additionally, the brand was granted its own plant, with all Saturns being built at a dedicated facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee. These first Saturns weren't exactly built to burn rubber; they were powered by engines that offered from 85-124 horsepower. The payoff, though, was that these were among the most fuel-efficient vehicles of their day, offering up to 40 miles per gallon (when equipped with a manual transmission).

Just after the brand's conception, GM boasted that Saturn vehicles would benefit from rapid evolution, but in the early years, this wasn't the case. The brand's vehicles saw only one redesign in their first decade of existence. The revamp took place in the mid-'90s, and for the most part, it was only skin deep. Exteriors were spruced up and interior room saw a slight increase.

The Saturn brand enjoyed some success in its earliest years, fueled by buyers who were in love with its unique approach to customer relations that included "no-haggle" pricing. By the turn of the century, though, the novelty had worn off. With dated platforms and a limited range of products, the marque was neglected by GM, and disappointing sales figures showed that buyers had taken note and chosen to spend their dollars elsewhere.

GM responded by ramping up its commitment to the Saturn brand. In 2000, it rolled out the L Series; sharing a platform and an engine with the Opel Vectra (one of GM's European products) the sedan was the opening salvo in GM's ultimately futile fight to resuscitate the struggling brand. An SUV, the Vue, was unveiled, as was a minivan, the Relay. The S Series was replaced by the lamentable Ion, which was available as a sedan and a coupe. GM also added a hybrid to the lineup, with the introduction of the Saturn Vue Green Line.

Later, Saturn included the sporty Sky roadster, the midsize Aura sedan, the compact second-generation Vue crossover and the full-size Outlook crossover. For a brief period, there was also the European-sourced Astra compact hatchback.

Despite the increase in product quality, however, the Saturn brand effectively collapsed in 2009. As part of GM's bankruptcy proceedings, Saturn was offered up for sale. Initially, it was believed that the Penske Corporation would take over Saturn. But the deal fell through at the last minute, thereby spelling the final end for GM's import-fighting experiment.

User Reviews:

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  SATURN VUE-2004 - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By EDNA HESSER - January 2 - 10:00 am

  GREAT RIDE-PLENTY OF MOTOR POWER WHEN NEEDED-GOOD GAS MILEAGE-COMFORTABLE TO DRIVE.-USER FRIENDLY ACCESSORIES.

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  Great - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Dave - December 31 - 10:30 pm

  Solid and very quick. Fun to drive. 3.6 dual overhead cam really moves with great gas mileage for the power. I love it, so does my wife.

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  I would think twice - 2003 Saturn ION
  By I would think twice - December 24 - 8:03 pm

  I can feel every bump in the road, CD player skips while driving/ The seats stains very very easily/ bad on gas mileage, occasionally seems to have tranny issues/ plastic panels falls off very easily. Material on interior is not the best quality. Horn is very hard to use, seats are not comfortable

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  Excellent! - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By RBG - December 22 - 12:36 pm

  This is our second Saturn and we have had nothing but good experiences with both the vehicles and the service. With 3 kids, the sliding door, second row bucket seats, DVD with headphones and the overall interior design has made our travel much easier! Plenty of storage room behind the rear seat, lots of leg room, AND a decent place for a purse! (Hard to find in any vehicle!) Its easy to drive and very comfortable. Our kids call it the SUVan because of the exterior look-- they like that is doesnt look like all the other minivans on the road. Highly recommend!

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  Red Line Rocks! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By RJ - December 21 - 11:00 pm

  Chose this over the RAV4, and its the right choice. The cars performance has been flawless, and Im getting about 26mpg in mixed driving. The car is a real eye-catcher, and has started several conversations already with people in parking lots. Got the Red Line with Sun & Sound package, and I cant imagine having more fun in a car. The Honda V6 is worth the extra $, thanks to its fuel economy and especially its passing power. I drove sedans all my life, and thanks to the VUE, Ill never go back. Make sure you check it out, as I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a feature-packed SUV for a very reasonable price. Oh, by the way, did I mention it comes with a free year of OnStar?

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  After three years... - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Vince M - December 21 - 9:33 am

  Overall it was a good vehicle, better than my 04 Vue. Quality is average, still a lot of cheap plastic throughout the interior. No major issues. Only a few trips to the dealer for minor repairs. Kids didnt like the back seat, not comfortable and not enough cup holders. mileage is OK but not great. Ending the lease soon and would consider buying the car if the price was right.

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  Rethink American is so true - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By jsurgener - December 18 - 7:13 am

  Great car I never thought of myself as a Saturn person, but the first time I drove this car I loved it. Honda, Toyota and VW dont even come close to how fun this car is to drive. I test drove all of them and the Aura is the way to go. The Aura got 5 stars in all the crash tests except for a 4 star on rollover.

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  New Saturn at 30 days - 2005 Saturn ION
  By David - December 16 - 10:36 pm

  Comfortable car to drive. The local dealership was great to deal with and provided good information.This is our 3rd Saturn and we love it. Gas mileage at 30 mpg right now in the city!

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  A different kind of SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Al - December 16 - 1:06 pm

  The 2wd, 4-cyl model we are leasing is basically a station wagon on stilts. This is for hauling groceries and kids, not off-roading, which is fine, because thats what most folks use their SUVs for anyway. Before this, we had the V-6 L300, and the VUE feels underpowered in comparison, but its an SUV that gets good gas milage. The reviewer commented on the cheapness of the interior, but that was the 2002 model. I think the brushed aluminum look in the 2006 model is very nice. The armrests on the front bucket seats are really the only plastic bits that seem cheap to me. For some reason, we have the woodgrain from the v-6 model on one of the doorhandles in the rear.

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  Saturn VUE - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Louise - December 16 - 10:16 am

  The VUE is quiet, it drives well, and the ride is very comfortable even for long rides with lots of leg room. I love this car. I love the color "Cypress Green". I would definitely buy another one if I ever trade this one in. So far it has been my favorite car, and I was always a Ford person.